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Culture, creativity & societies

Understanding cultures and the complex relationships in societies.

Across humanities, creative arts and social sciences, ANU sets national and international standards in research, education and community engagement. Our national role in Australia is demonstrated by consistent high rankings in global rankings and the depth and breadth of our research.

Research areas

Indigenous studies

ANU is a national leader in Indigenous studies with a deep commitment to addressing key issues for Indigenous populations. We aim to increase Australia’s understanding of Indigenous cultures, laws and histories with cross-disciplinary research in a number of fields.

Social structures & processes

ANU is the national academic home of archaeology, anthropology and history, with scholars working on a world-class program of research in remote and metropolitan Australia, Asia and the Pacific, and globally. A vibrant interdisciplinary network of researchers seeks to understand societies from ancient to present.

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Social sciences

ANU has an outstanding international reputation of social science research and training, leading public debate through demographic research, political science, law and society. As Australia’s major institution for social sciences, we have a proud history of outstanding scholarship and research training.

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Humanities

The humanities research being conducted by ANU scholars is globally recognised as amongst the best in the world. Philosophy, history, modern languages, and linguistics, are each ranked by QS Subject Rankings (2014) as the best in Australia and in the global top 15.

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The arts

Creative arts, museum and art curatorship, and cultural inquiry are strongly supported through an interdisciplinary research base. Our researchers are pushing the boundaries of scholarship and engage with key social issues facing Australia, such as Indigenous cultural expression.